


Not All Treasure Is Silver and Gold

by STARSdidathing



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Cute, Fluff, Infatuation, Inspired By Tumblr, Loki Feels, Loki-centric, M/M, Mermaids, Prompt Fill, Tony Being Tony, Tumblr Prompt, Wordcount: 1.000-5.000, human!tony, mermaid!Loki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-02
Updated: 2017-09-02
Packaged: 2018-12-22 20:44:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11974674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/STARSdidathing/pseuds/STARSdidathing
Summary: Loki had always been curious about humans, but none of them had ever captured or held his attention. At least, not until now.





	Not All Treasure Is Silver and Gold

**Author's Note:**

  * For [buying_the_space_farm](https://archiveofourown.org/users/buying_the_space_farm/gifts).



> So, there was this prompt on the frostiron tumblr that really came from dailyfrostironficrec that was created by **buying_the_space_farm** and the post can be found [here](https://dailyfrostironficrec.tumblr.com/post/164859359664/september-2017-prompt)!
> 
>  **Rightsidethru** also pointed out to me a few days ago that monthly prompts were happening and I should get on that bandwagon. Then, well. _Mermaids_. So, here I am XD 
> 
> Thanks so much guys, I had other shit I was meant to be writing today XD

It wasn’t forbidden to fall in love with a human, but it certainly wasn’t recommended. 

There was always the possibility that humans could wage war on them, humans already lived such short lives in comparison to their own and, most important of all, humans couldn’t live underwater.

Loki knew it was a mistake and that he’d let his curiosity get the better of him, but he’d been swimming close to the surface when he heard the humans talking.

There were two of them: a darker skinned human who was trying to convince another, more excited, human to stop what he was doing.

Loki hadn’t been able to resist the temptation before him, and he’d hovered underneath the small boat to listen.

The excited human, Tony, was in search of a famous ship that had sunk not far from the coast; it had been full of gold and jewels, but Tony was more interested in _finding_ the ship. It had belonged to a famed sailor who had travelled the world and was returning home.

Tony wanted to discover the treasures the perished captain had brought back from those countries. He also wanted to discover the wreckage to prove that he _could_.

Loki knew of the sunken ship and wanted to see how accurate the human was in his theories... at least, that was how it started.

Tony came out every day: testing the water, mapping the area, and sending out technology that pulsed and searched the ocean floor. Rhodey only rarely ventured out with him, but Tony always spoke aloud, regardless of the lack of company.

The human was honest, amusing--and sometimes, if the water was dark enough, Loki pushed away from where he floated underneath the boat to look up at Tony from under the water. The dark-eyed man was handsome, prone to smiling widely whenever he achieved something--no matter how small--and he made Loki’s stomach flutter and his heart race the few times Tony gazed into the water: managing to stare at but not see Loki hovering there.

Loki had been following the man around for months, listening to his confusion, his frustration, his enthusiasm, and his chatter. The merman felt rather addicted to the human, unwilling to spend a day away and disappointed when he searched for the boat but found that Tony wasn’t out on the water.

The longest stretch the human spent away from the sea was four days, and Loki didn’t wish to suffer that particular worry and distress again. He had even taken to lingering closer to the shore instead of returning to the city and the castle where Loki typically spent most of his nights. His family, at least, were used to him disappearing for weeks at a time and weren’t overly concerned.

Loki simply found himself unwilling to lose even a moment of listening to the human talk, not when Tony seemed to be venturing closer to the shipwreck with every day that passed. The merman had found himself sleeping close to the wreckage and exploring it when Tony was back on land.

Loki had never been particularly interested by shipwrecks and their trinkets, although other merfolk flocked to them and stole items to grace their homes or lace into their hair or clothes. This one seemed rather untouched by his kind.

He’d needed to be careful when he’d darted in through the holes torn in the hull of the ship; his tail was strong and an errant flick of it could do damage to the rotting wood. Loki had spent hours searching the ship, smiling and hovering his hand over items that he’d heard the human talk about with longing. Loki had desperately wanted to pick them up and go rushing to the surface to give them to Tony, but he knew he couldn’t--so the merman held himself back and continued to explore.

Loki knew almost every crevice and item inside that ship, and he found himself oftentimes touching the broken mast and looking down at the entirety of Tony’s prize, hoping he could be there to see the human’s face when he found what he was searching for.

The merman liked to fall asleep dreaming of the human and how it would feel to be beside Tony, sharing his success, instead of hiding in the shadows and darkness of the waves.

Loki hadn’t yet devised of a way to make that _reality_ , but he knew his chances were disappearing. Tony would discover the wreckage soon and then he would have no reason to continue his search. The human would leave for another adventure after that. Loki just didn’t know how to bridge the idea that he _existed_ , let alone that he was fascinated by and wished to know Tony.

It was early one morning, the sun having barely risen, and Loki was laying on the ocean floor, staring up at the surface and thinking about Tony. It was too early for the human to be sailing; Loki was also far too deep to be able to see anything should any humans be out so early, but Loki found himself wondering what his human was doing.

Loki was so concentrated on imagining Tony’s life on land that it took him a few moments to notice something descending from the surface. The moment he noticed the wire that humans were fond of using to hunt fish, he darted into a sitting position.

It was true that the hooks wouldn’t hurt him, but the merman had no intention of having a piece of dead fish landing on his head. He had barely shuffled out of the way of the wire, however, when he noticed that there _wasn’t_ a hook or bait at the end; rather, there was a small corked bottle with a lead weight and parchment inside.

Curious and suspicious, Loki leaned close to better see the ink that had been scrawled on the paper.

“ _Hi, I’m Tony. You’ve been floating around under my boat for months. I took some measurements and, well, are you a mermaid?_ ”

Loki reared back from the bottle when he finished reading, his heart and his breath racing. _How_ had the human known? How _long_ had he known?

Loki was trying to figure out what to do when he saw another bottle dropping through the water to land to his left; tentatively, he moved closer to it in order to read the next note.

“ _I’m not offended. Kind of flattered by the attention, actually. Unless you plan to kill me? I hope you don’t plan to kill me. I don’t plan to kill you if that helps you freak out less._ ”

A slightly strained, but helpless smile pulled at Loki’s mouth. He could hear the human’s voice clearly in his mind. It was just like how he rambled at himself on the boat... or, perhaps, rambled at Loki? The thought made Loki’s chest feel tight. Had the human been talking to... him?

Another bottle dropped down and, this time, Loki moved to read it instantly.

“ _I really hope you can read what I’m writing. But you haven’t swam away yet. So I’m taking that as a positive. I also have about fifty jars here. Plenty of messages. Only have five rods, though. That could be a problem_.”

Loki couldn’t help it; he laughed a little and waited patiently until the next message could be written and dropped down to him.

“ _I don’t know if you can breathe above water, but it’s pretty dark out if you wanted to come and say hi? No one else will see you. It might not mean much, but I promise I don’t want to hurt you, I just want to talk to you._ ”

Loki was biting his bottom lip by the time he finished reading the fourth message; he also tilted his head up, staring unseeingly at the boat and the human above him, trying to decide what to do.

A final, fifth message came floating down through the water and, this time, Loki actually reached out for it, capturing the small bottle in his hand.

“ _I really would like to get to know you. I mean, I’ve been talking at you for months... But even if you just want to stay the way we are, that’s okay. I just hope you won’t go away. You stuck around and kept me company, and I... I really liked that._ ”

Loki let the bottle go the moment he finished; before he could reconsider his decision, he used his fin to propel himself towards the surface. The merman took care to avoid the five fishing lines while letting his eyes skim the surface, looking for any other boats, but it was only Tony out on the water. 

The human was sitting in his boat, looking nervously out over the side and glancing at his equipment. He had another bottle in his hand with a pen and paper, and Loki only let himself hesitate for a moment before he very slowly let his head break the water’s surface.

It took a few seconds for Tony’s darting gaze to find and lock onto his. The other man’s beautiful brown eyes widened in surprise before he smiled so brightly that Loki’s heart flared with warmth. 

“Hi,” Tony said to him.

Loki swallowed, giving his body time to adjust from breathing with his gills to breathing with his lungs. “Hello.”

Tony’s smile, if possible, got even wider as he leaned towards the side of his boat, making it rock slightly. Loki, in response, swam a little closer until he could almost touch the boat--almost touch _Tony_.

The human’s eyes were running over his face, catching on Loki’s impossibly bright green eyes, the small slits on his neck that hid his gills, the dark hair that fanned out in the water around the merman.

Grinning a little shyly, Loki offered, “My name is Loki.”

“ _Loki_ ,” Tony repeated, his breath almost an awed whisper--making Loki fight down a shiver at hearing that particular tone of voice. The other man blinked and shook his head a little, a faint redness forming on his cheeks before Tony cleared his throat and asked: “How long can you stay out of the water?”

 _As long as you would like me to_ , Loki thought but didn’t say. He just shifted a little closer and gently answered Tony with, “As long as I wish.”

Tony smiled at that reply, looking happy and excited. The human’s expression looked exactly the way Loki had pictured Tony would be when he found the ship he’d spent so much time searching for. 

Loki tried not to let himself flush at the comparison. He tried not to let himself think about the fact Tony was floating metres away from the wreckage he’d been searching so long for--only for all of Tony’s attention and focus to be given to... Loki.

The merman didn’t want to let that thought fill him with hope or to lose himself in staring at how handsome Tony was in the glow of early morning sunlight—or of how kissable the human’s lips were. And yet: Loki couldn’t stop himself from moving closer or speaking with the other man, of planning to come back and talk to the dark-eyed man for as long as Tony wished to see him.

Loki knew it wasn’t forbidden to fall for a human--but when it came to Tony and his bright eyes and endless fascination, Loki found there was no way he could stop himself from resisting.

**Author's Note:**

> I had a lot of fun writing this. And I loved imagining mermaid Loki surrounded by messages in bottles and Tony up in the boat corking bottles and tying them to fishing lines. Guh. So cute :3
> 
> But ahem. ANYWAY. I hope you all liked it! And while I can't promise I'll respond to all the monthly prompts posted on tumblr, I'll keep an eye out for them and we'll see what happens :)
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
>  **EDIT:** There is now gorgeous artwork of the cute notes-in-bottles scene :333 NovaRain does it again and makes me squeal with her sweetness and skill! [GO GIVE HER LOVE ON HER TUMBLR WHERE THE PIC IS](https://novarain01.tumblr.com/image/164913612791) :3333
> 
>  **ANOTHER EDIT:** The lovely Majinie also drew some mer!Loki and it can be found [here](https://majiniesthings.tumblr.com/post/165187036445/quick-messy-sketch-of-merloki-from-stars-fic-not%20). Go check it out and give them some love!!!
> 
>  **AND MORE ART**. The ~lovely PunkPlaidKitty did some beautiful sketches and it is linked below. Go check it out she is amazing :3

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Humans are Weird](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12056793) by [Dewsparkle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dewsparkle/pseuds/Dewsparkle)
  * [Not All Treasure Is Silver and Gold (sketches)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12066039) by [PunkPlaidKitty](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PunkPlaidKitty/pseuds/PunkPlaidKitty)




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